There are layers of wisdom and all are required for a balanced life. They are IQ, EQ and SQ, or we can say Intellectual, Emotional and Spiritual Intelligence. IQ refers to our rational, logical, rule-bound, problem-solving intelligence. It is supposed to make us bright or dim. It is also a style of rational, goal-oriented thinking. All of us use some IQ, or we wouldn’t be functional.
EQ is the intelligence that understands feelings. This is essential to have strong, loving relationships. One with good emotional intelligence understands that what goes on in my mind, my thoughts and feelings are felt by others. They are not hidden. One with emotional intelligence takes responsibility for the quality of their thoughts and feelings because they realise it is the basis of sustainable relationships.
If EQ is the wisdom to have a quality relationship with others, then SQ is the wisdom to have a quality relationship with the self. This is the most necessary wisdom needed today. The relationship with the self is the first relationship of life, but if it is dysfunctional it pollutes everything else. The one with spiritual intelligence realises a need to return to one’s roots to understand “Who am I”. The one with spiritual intelligence begins to connect with the original “I”, or my permanent identity.
When I connect and taste the feelings of my permanent identity, it is like coming home to where I really belong. I am a soul; I adopt a body and work through it. When I forget myself and think I am my body, this is when the games of ups and downs, fluctuating between ego and lack of self-respect, begins. Becoming soul conscious is the middle path. Rather than swinging from the ego “highs” and the lack of self-respect “lows”, I experience my eternal self, the soul.
The soul is a point of life energy residing in the middle of the brain, behind the forehead. When I realise the true self and experience it, automatically I experience peace. Meditation is converting the belief into an experience. This is the new intelligence: not just to know and believe but to experience the permanent self. The natural byproduct of experiencing myself as the soul is a deep and stable feeling of peace. It becomes my natural state, not a fleeting experience.
Once I am soul conscious, I have built a platform to communicate with God. This is Rajyoga. The aim of Rajyoga is to link the mind and feelings to God. God is seen as the Supreme Soul, also just a point of light, but an unlimited ocean of love, peace and power. I absorb my whole being in the beauty of the Supreme and this loving relationship begins a deep healing. This is spiritual intelligence.
This is the ultimate wisdom or intelligence, to use my thoughts to create feelings of love, peace and happiness.
Charlie Hogg, based in Sydney, has been a daily meditator with the Brahma Kumaris for 45 years.
